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LETTERS
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Lackluster Linux Links
Your January 2022 edition had a feature on how Windows and Linux were finally playing together nicely. It’s correct in that you can now use Linux programs in Windows, but just don’t expect it to work the other way around!
This is particularly annoying for me, as Linux is my preferred OS for 95 percent of my needs—the main exception being gaming. I've tried Steam and Proton on Linux and neither are good. Why should I use emulation to play games that should be supported out-of-the-box?
Of course, I understand that game publishers might not want to invest in the coding required for a different operating system, maybe because they fear there aren't enough Linux gamers. But this is a chicken-and-egg scenario, where the audience won’t show up until there are more games to play.
However, I suspect there must be an enormous number of Linux users like me who love gaming and are currently being underserved!
–C.
Rolfe
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GUY COCKER, RESPONDS: First of all, thank you for the feedback on the article and your love of Linux—it's always great to hear from those who embrace opensource. As a gamer myself, I hear your frustrations, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve stuck with Windows over Linux for so long.
A few years ago, Valve looked like it was going to single-handedly reinvent the Linux gaming market with its Steam Machines, which used a version of Linux called SteamOS. You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but that didn’t quite pan out and, in 2018, they stopped being sold on the Steam store.